Random Thoughts Thread

[Luke]

Does anybody know of any websites where I can get short summaries for book plots? And I mean actually short- no page long summaries or anything like that. Just the major plot points for the books in around 10 sentences or less.

We have to do "book cards" for my AP class, and part of that is a short summary of the whole book, but it has to fit on a 4x6 index card, along with a bunch of other information, and I'm having trouble summarizing the specific books this year- Invisible Man by Emerson, and All the Pretty Horses by McCarthy.

Wow.

Not trying to be a slapnuts, but I'm glad I didn't grow up having to use the internet as a crutch. If you've read the book and can't summarize it, ask your teacher, not the internet for help.

All the Pretty Horses: Two dudes leave for Meheeco in search of riches but find they are surrounded by love, death and adventures along the way in a classic coming of age story set after the roaring twenties but before the era of rock n' roll.

[o.pwuaioc]

For once, I agree with Luke. You need to do this without the internet. Unless you're going into tech support, you need to learn how to do this by yourself. That's the point of school. Plagiarism will quickly lead you to a solid F.

[Forlorn Drifter]

Well, the problem is having to hit every important point, yet still make it able for the whole story to be understood correctly, and having enough information to satisfy the teacher.

Example: On All the Pretty Horses, I have to include details about Blevins, the Aunt, the Ranch, the time in prison, the relationship between Alejandra and John, and describe the points with the father and mother in losing the ranch- the mother being an actress, and the father's mental problems caused by the war, etc. Along with fitting on symbols, themes, distinguishing features, author information, setting information, and more on one side of a 4x6 index card and it MUST be printed on- You are not allowed to hand write it, and the text can't be smaller than 10 point. Its not that I can't summarize, its the fact that I have to summarize enough to fit everything else in. Its especially problematic with Invisible Man, as I didn't even understand what the book was trying to say, and certain plot points are made out as major, even getting their own chapters, without it affecting much of the plot or advancing the story.

[brunoafh]

Agreed with above posts. You are hurting yourself more than helping by turning to the work of others.

It sounds like the assignment is doing what it is intended to do though, challenging you.

[o.pwuaioc]

Agreed with above posts. You are hurting yourself more than helping by turning to the work of others.

It sounds like the assignment is doing what it is intended to do though, challenging you.

Bingo. It's frustrating to no end when students want to be given A's rather than understanding that they need to earn them. If everyone cheats, what's the point of even giving out the assignment?

[Luke]

For once, I agree with Luke.

Aw c'mon. You've agreed with me at least two times.

Agreed with above posts. You are hurting yourself more than helping by turning to the work of others.

I remember when "cheating" on a book summary meant having to read cliff notes AND renting the movie on VHS. And those combined took more time and effort than just reading the damned book.

A question I always ask when interviewing a potential employee is "What are the last three books you read, and tell me about them". Not having an answer to that puts you in the circular file. Even "I prefer film to movies...blah blah blah" or "To be honest a collection of Calvin and Hobbes, Far Side and Spider-Man" is better than "I haven't read much lately".

Why I added ^ that, I have no clue other to tell people to read more.

[Luke]

Agreed with above posts. You are hurting yourself more than helping by turning to the work of others.

It sounds like the assignment is doing what it is intended to do though, challenging you.

Bingo. It's frustrating to no end when students want to be given A's rather than understanding that they need to earn them. If everyone cheats, what's the point of even giving out the assignment?

No s#!t. I had a finance professor who announced "Before I waste any syllabi, there is another finance professor who I do admire, but he and I both agree that I am far more demanding of your time and effort. Transfer now to his class if you wish, as you will spend more time on my class than your other classes".

And again, no s#!t, people did walk out of his class. It doesn't take a spoon manager to figure out how the other professor treated his newly added students.

[Forlorn Drifter]

Yeesh, easy guys, its mainly just me bitching about not having enough room on the card. Luckily, I got ahold of my teacher and she said we could use the back of the card, seeing as it was apparently a big problem for everybody else too.

And I'm finally done!

[Luke]

Yeesh, easy guys, its mainly just me bitching about not having enough room on the card. Luckily, I got ahold of my teacher and she said we could use the back of the card, seeing as it was apparently a big problem for everybody else too.

And I'm finally done!

There you go buddy.

You'll also find out later in life that asking your boss for help or even telling him you are bored at times usually leads to a learning experience and/or greater opportunities (as long as you have a Good Boss).

[Fragems]

Had a random Idea involving a combination of a tutoring center and arcade. Anyways I thought it would be a cool idea to toss out there and play around with.

This would be a facility geared more toward providing school age children a facility to learn, play, and socialize. Such a project would probably need a substantial government grant to stay afloat, as well as help and cooperation of the local school systems, but I thought it was one of the cooler random ideas to pop through my head recently. Of course there is a lot more to consider aside from what I list below .

I think the education system and arcade industry would both benefit from a chain of such facilities opening.


Tokens:

Earning Tokens:
1. Grades received for school assignments and tests would earn tokens.
2. Tokens could also be earned through tests or activities taking place within the facility provided either at a computer lab within the facility or by certified tutors.
3. Members receive 10 free tokens per visit to the facility.

Buying Tokens:
1. Tokens can only be purchases Friday-Sunday.
2. Standard tokens would cost 10 cents each.
3. Full day passes could be purchased for $20.

Two Types of Tokens:
1. Silver tokens which can be purchased Friday-Sunday but are only useable Friday-Sunday.
2. Gold tokens earned by students for academic achievements/study activities/etc. which can be used at any time.

Token Disbursement:(This is a bit of an obstacle)
1. The best way would be to make the membership card into a charge card. However this would require the machines to be connected to some form of a card reader which would then in turn need to be connected to a network. This could end up being rather complex.
-or-
2. A token disbursement machine could be setup to disburse physical tokens from a users account using a card scanner. While being the simplest solution this system could lead to its own set of problems. For instance members could sell their free or "earned" tokens to other members. Limiting game play would be difficult for instance someone could save up a few hundred tokens block other users from playing a cab for the entire day.



Membership

Gaining Membership:
1. Membership would cost a yearly fee of $10 dollars for children under 18 or $40 for persons over 18.
2. Some form of Id would be required upon registration. Either a picture ID or the presence of a parent/guardian would be necessary.
3. For students a student id as well as information regarding their school would also be required in order to verify academic progress.

Benefits of Membership:
1. An id card which would provide access to the facility. The id card would also be used to track your available tokens, user activity, and other user information.
2. Access to special events.(Maybe a free play day once a month or something)
3. A chance to win an academic scholarship. Only available to members currently attending a public school facility. (Probably $100+ depending on the amount of sponsors involved)

Other Services:
1. A Computer Lab for testing and research.
2. Tutoring courses at an additional cost.
3. Food. This is a bit tricky seeing as I don't see providing food at an arcade necessarily a good idea. However if you have children staying extended hours you can't exactly starve them especially if their parents ditch them there all day. So at bare minimum a water fountain and snacks would be necessary. I would avoid at all cost having to include a kitchen because that is a money hole for arcades in my opinion. If food is needed for a birthday or event then catering(aka pizza delivery) is an option which is always on the table.



Operating hours:
Public
3pm-10pm Friday
8am-10pm Saturday-Sunday

For Persons under 18
3pm-8pm Monday-Thursday
3pm-10pm Friday
8am-10pm Saturday-Sunday



Location:
1. It would have to be a central location. Preferably in close proximity to multiple schools and with multiple moderately close(within 5-6 miles) neighborhoods.
-or-
2. It could be located in an area with plenty of other attractions. Such as restaurants, movies, shopping, and etc.

Regardless of how the facility is setup parents are going to see it as a drop spot for their kids. They aren't going to go extremely far out of their way to drop them off or pick them up so it's either put the facility close to home or close to their destination.